Report – GM to fast-track large pickup development by nine months

According to people from the supplier chain, General Motors wants to tentatively narrow the gap between its large pickups and Ford’s offerings by pressing a faster introduction of its next-generation full-size pickups.

The sources commented that Ford – with the introduction of the lightweight F-150 this year – now commends a sizeable lead against GM in the race to meet the tightening future US fuel-economy standards. This is the main reason behind the automaker’s push to bring forth the reveal of the new pickups by a full nine months, to the fall of 2018. A year after that, based on the same redesigned platform, GM will also introduce the new generation of full-size sport-utility vehicles.

Just like Ford did, General Motors has moved to shed many pounds from the current and next versions of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, which are codenamed for suppliers as T1XX. There is still no information available on whether the carmaker will also switch to aluminum use.

The current generation pickups received a redesign last year, with GM introducing the SUVs based on the same platform this year. GM chief executive Mary Barra said last week about the redesigned pickups and SUVs that the company prepares more changes in the near future. The executives did not provide specific details – though they said the upgrades include new transmissions and engines.

An extended video with the recently unveiled BMW X5 xDrive40e has been released by the German based automaker.
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